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Road, bridge repair must be a priority, officials say

Local officials are calling on the state to make a pointed Local officials on Monday gathered at the worst safety-rated bridge in Dutchess County to raise awareness of the need for state funding to improve New York State's deteriorating infrastructur

Road, bridge repair must be a priority, officials say

Local officials gathered on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, on County Road 72 near a bridge over Swallow Stream in the Town of Pleasant Valley to bring awareness to the state's need to fund infrastructure improvement projects across New York State.
Amanda Fries/ Poughkeepsie Journal

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A bridge on County Road 72 that crosses Swallow Stream in the Town of Pleasant Valley in Dutchess County will be replaced. Elected officials met at this location Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, to bring awareness to the need for state and federal funding for infrastructure improvements across New York State.(Photo: Amanda Fries/ Poughkeepsie Journal)Buy Photo

With about a month left before Gov. Andrew Cuomo reveals his 2016-17 budget plan, local elected officials are pushing to make repairs to roads and bridges a priority.

"Over the decades, New York state has allowed its infrastructure to age and become less and less safe," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said Monday during a news conference. We "call the state Legislature and the governor in particular to include in his executive budget the funding necessary to provide parity, so that those beyond the (Metropolitan Transit Authority) services in New York City, those of us in upstate...can make much-needed investment and repairs and enhancements to our infrastructure and, with that, put countless New Yorkers back to work."

The gathering occurred roughly two weeks after a Poughkeepsie Journal special investigative report uncovered that nearly half of all bridges in Dutchess County, 156 of 333 bridges, have a condition rating of 5 and under — indicating they need repairs. Issues range from rusting beams to sidewalk improvement.

“That means it’s likely that every single one of us is in danger of coming across an unsafe bridge,” said state Sen. Sue Serino, R-Hyde Park. “It is time for Gov. Cuomo to make upstate infrastructure a real priority by featuring its improvement prominently in his executive budget.”

Local elected officials were joined with representatives of the Rebuild NY Now coalition at a bridge on County Road 72 over Swallow Stream in the Town of Pleasant Valley, which has a condition rating of 3.33 and is considered deficient, according to the state’s Department of Transportation’s bridge data from Nov. 30. The bridge — which the Journal's investigation found was the worst in Dutchess County — currently is flagged for issues with the abutment, but still is safe to travel over and doesn’t require a weight restriction, county officials said.

The coalition is seeking $26 billion to $28 billion in funding over the next five years to make improvements to local road and bridge infrastructure, said Ross Pepe, president of the Construction of Industry Council of Westchester and a member of the coalition.

"It's been denied attention too many years," Pepe said. "We're trying to get funding in place that will allow for this region, and this entire state, to rebuild the infrastructure and the condition. That’s good for the economy and good for jobs."

The funding allocated to Metropolitan Transportation Authority, through a deal struck on Oct. 10 between New York City and the state calling for $8 billion in support over the next five years to fund the MTA, has been a focal point for reasoning that the state should budget more money for local bridge and road repairs, too. Since the deal, Cuomo has vowed to get more infrastructure funding for upstate.

“They’re right,” Cuomo told reporters Nov. 18 in Rochester. “We always fund transportation needs all around the state. We need to fund them downstate, and we need to fund them upstate. There’s no doubt about that.”

The MTA, which provides transit services to the city and its suburbs, including the mid-Hudson Valley, had a $9.8 billion funding gap for its five-year, $32 billion capital plan. The state will pick up the bulk of the tab, with the city and MTA funding the rest.

The MTA declined to comment for this story.

“What the state has done is made a major investment downstate, which is all well and good and we’re certainly grateful for that investment, but the truth of the matter is that upstate New York, in particular the Hudson River valley, can no longer afford to be an ATM for the MTA,” Molinaro said.

Cuomo will release a proposed state budget in late January for the fiscal year that starts April 1. This year's state budget invested more than $3.7 billion in the state Department of Transportation's capital program, according to state budget office officials. It includes the first $150 million of a new $750 million five-year investment for a state and local bridge initiative, which state officials said will accelerate the rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement of about 100 bridges. It also includes the first $100 million of a new $250 million two-year investment to accelerate the completion of state highway and bridge projects that were planned for later years.

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A bridge on County Road 72 over Swallow Stream in the Town of Pleasant Valley is set for replacement next year. The bridge was a focal point for local officials who are urging that state lawmakers make Upstate New York infrastructure repairs a priority in next year's state budget.(Photo: Amanda Fries/ Poughkeepsie Journal)

While local officials are calling on the state to provide more funding to local municipalities in an effort to improve infrastructure, Molinaro said the county has allocated $11 million in 2016 to make infrastructure improvements.

One of those projects is the bridge over Swallow Stream on County Road 73, which is set to be replaced next year. The intersection at County Road 72 and County Road 73, also known as Sherow Road, also will be reconfigured to improve sight distance and pedestrian safety and make stopping easier. The cost for the project is projected to be $2.59 million, and is expected to be finished by early fall of 2016.

“I’ve traveled back and forth on this road for the 22 years that I’ve lived in Pleasant Valley,” County Legislator Don Sagliano said. “We need to get more money into the local towns and municipalities so that highway superintendents can pave the roads and keep the roads in good order.”